From John:
Always I have been fascinated by seeds--their vivid shapes and colors,
their power and mystery. When I joined the Seed Savers Exchange (http://www.seedsavers.org/)
in 1982, I fell in love with the stories attached to seeds gifted to
me. Most of our culture at the time had not yet awakened to the
"heirloom phenomenon" we see today. Matter of fact, most gardeners and
farmers had come to believe as they were told by seed companies and
university breeding programs that modern hybrids were far superior.
These beautiful seeds that I had requested would arrive at my door
accompanied by wonderful handwritten stories about the seeds like these:
"My family lost almost everything during the Great Depression, but these beans kept us alive."
"This was the only corn to make ears during the great drought of '34."
"My people carried these beans on the Trail of Tears."
I added my own stories when I sent seeds in return: "Midnight, late
July, Aunt Mary's Sweet Corn in full tassel and silk--strong stalks and
setting two ears--I feel such powerful ecstatic energy."
Seeds and culture intertwined. There is more encoded in seeds than their
DNA. Seeds have stories to tell and they are still waiting for us to
listen.
So, yes! I do think seeds have agency. They are my sisters, brothers,
and teachers. Since it appears that climate change may encourage us to
rethink agriculture, what kinds of questions should we consider that
connote a relationship between us of mutuality and reciprocity? Here are
a few that I have been pondering:
Have we misinterpreted our ancient ancestors' true motivations for
selection of seeds for food crops? What about the seeds/species we did
not select (such as perennials) and those we have chosen to leave
behind?
How might a nurturing/stewarding seed culture emerge in our Great Lakes Bioregion?
What critical consciousness skills will we need to bring to the table when we consider genetically modified organisms?
What about all the seeds that sit in cold storage in seed vaults? Where
are the gardeners to find out if these seeds could have a new
"homeland"?
How might we re-vision our educational ethics so that seeds and our
healthy relationship to the biotic community mean more than power and
money?
~~~~~~~~
Before you come to the farm this week, please watch the documentary film "Seed: The Untold Story." It is available for streaming through your K College Kanopy account: https://kzoo.kanopy.com/
After you've watched it, please reflect on the film in the comments section of this blog post. We would like to know the following:
1) What did you know about seeds and the seed industry prior to watching this film? Where did you obtain this prior knowledge?
2) Does any of the information in the
film challenge your ideas about your relationship to food
and
plants? If so, how so? Also, do parts of the film resonate with your
experiences and beliefs? If so, tell us how!
3) Were there any parts of the film that made you feel uncomfortable or where you found the messaging of the film to be problematic in some way? If so, why?
4) Are there other questions that arise for
you as you contemplate your relationship with the plants that sustain
your life?
Also, please bring your seed catalogs and worksheets to the farm when you come out! We will talk about them and then we will plant some seeds!!
First off, I wanna say... how cool was that introduction? I wonder how many days it took for the lady in the pink dress in the introduction to grow the lil greens from her dress? They must have filmed that in a really specific setting to capture such a transformative moment... or maybe not.
ReplyDelete1)Prior to watching “Seed: The Story Untold” I had no idea the amount of agony so many cultures were put through due to the increase of technology that lead to genetically modifying crops. Prior to watching this documentary, the two things I knew about GMO’s were from an ex-boyfriend of mine who was ANTI-GMO because it screwed over so many small scale farmers and because patenting crops is like “playing God” and some dude in my Speech class at Eastern Michigan University who was pro GMO “because it fed people and wards off mass starvation”. SO, in short, I got two very different sides of the story. I have always been anti-GMO though… because we need to support small scale farmers and that means not screwing over farmers and not messing with the health and well being of an entire nation of peoples!
2) Watching this film was really, really hard for me because I have a deep rooted hurt for all the seed varieties that have died in the 21st century. 94%...WOW! At the same time, so much of the work people do with seeds and on the land requires well… land! I am also sad that I will never know what it feels like to eat a diet free of GMO’s because basically all foods that are sold inexpensively are GMO. Maybe I would become a superhuman if I had a diet with more diversity?
3)I guess I wished there were more academics and researchers who were willing to speak on behalf of GMO’s and giant corporations… Also, there was an interesting contrast between the Iowa seedbank and the Arizona seedbank… the Iowa seed bank was extremely high end, had vacuum sealed bags, and all the seeds were handled with sterile care, where as the Arizona seed bank was open air and the handler was openly touching all the different seeds.
4)No other questions, but I like this quote: “If you want to control the country, control their oil, if you want to control people, control their food, if you want to control their food, control their seed!”
1) After watching this documentary it was shocking to realize just how little I know about seeds. I do not have any previous knowledge about seeds, other than the few times I’ve gone to my local garden center to buy packets of seeds to grow in my backyard garden. I had no idea that 94% of our seed varieties have completely disappeared and that companies like Monsanto have taken control over seed production for thousands of seed varieties. It makes me question who owns the seeds sold in your local garden center and which of these seeds are GMO or hybrid.
ReplyDelete2) The film especially challenged my attitudes about the importance of seed saving programs and just how privileged I am to have access to organic non-GMO foods, as well as, the knowledge about the negative health effects of GMO foods. Individuals living in food deserts often only have access to these processed GMO foods which only increase their chances of developing health related problems. The fact that chemical companies own and have patented thousands of seeds resonates especially with my own beliefs about big corporations controlling food production. In no way do I agree with any one company owning a living organism and controlling its production. This movie also put into perspective how I take for granted the access I have to fresh produce without having to grow my food from an individual seed. We really are privileged that we do not have to rely on our own food production to sustain ourselves. That other individuals, farmers in particular put in the energy and time to grow the food we rely on to live.
3) The one part of the film that made me the most uncomfortable was the section that described what happened to Indian farmers. Monsanto went in, bought every local farmers seeds and created an environment in which these farmers were economically reliant on buying Monsanto GMO seeds to grow and live on. They no longer had ownership over their own seeds or over their own economic prosperity. I am just saddened by the fact that big chemical companies are ruining the lives of small farmers and there is really nothing we can do to stop them.
4) The only question I really have after watching this film is just how I and other students in this class can be a part of the solution to increase seed preservation for future generations?
1.) Prior to watching this film, the majority of what I knew about seeds were regarding their biological components such as germination, survival, and growth. However, the knowledge I had in this area was from biology courses here at K which focuses on plants that were “wild” and not meant for commercial use. Regarding seeds for agriculture, I had some knowledge about GMOs and patents from other documentaries (such as Food Inc) as well from environmental studies courses such as Roots in the Earth and Environmental Science. Further, I remember while I was growing up my dad told me about seed banks/ vaults in which seed of several varieties was kept. I thought these were government-run and created as a response to the dust bowl during the Great Depression. However, as I got older I learned that there were grassroots efforts to preserve seeds diversity with a greater understanding of the cultural significance of seeds.
ReplyDelete2.) Something that was new to me was the roots of the Green Revolution not being what we typically associate it to be about, such as renewable energy and environmental protection. Rather, the Green Revolution was meant to be the opposite of red, or communism, and feeding the masses with commercially produced food became a priority. This is where the pesticide-resistant crops and the chemical companies began owning seeds.
My knowledge about several elements of seeds was corroborated in this film such as the ways in which patents occur, the detrimental role GMOs play in agriculture, and the ways in which corporations are “in bed” with the government (members of the senate, house, supreme court, etc.). I found the portion that talked about pesticides use in Hawaii particularly hard to watch because of the incredible injustice that is occurring. Experimental chemicals were being sprayed within 100 yards of a school campus, children are dying in utero or shortly after due to birth defects, and those in the community are falling ill. Throughout this documentary, there is such a clear disregard for life, human and other, in order to gain profit and it is utterly sickening. “It is time to put human health above corporate wealth.”
3.) I had a problem with the way GMOs and genetic engineering was portrayed by directing injecting the pig fluids into a tomato. I don’t deny that the current usage of GMOs is incredibly harmful to agriculture and individual farmers, but the way in which GMOs are created should be presented with accuracy. The desired trait is isolated within the genetic makeup of a species and inserted into a plasmid (a circular DNA strand of a bacterium). From here a bacterium that is capable of transfecting the plasmid into a cell is used to insert the new gene into the cells that eventually become a seed. We did this in our introductory Evolution and Genetics class here at Kalamazoo with a gene for glowing called Green Fluorescent Protein and some cells we cultured on a petri dish. Sometimes (in my opinion) the anger and injustice that is so clearly taking place are being misdirected toward the science of GMOs rather than the companies and their use of this science. If you fight the science of GMOs, these companies will find another way. Fight the companies, fight the patents, fight the government that allows Monsanto (and others) to operate outside of democracy. Get to the root of the problem rather than the vehicle for the injustice.
DeleteI also found the use of a cartoon to describe the suicide of the women’s uncle who took loans from the bank to purchase pesticides and seeds to be in poor taste. This is a human’s life who was taken from us at the hand of capitalism and should not be joked about or relayed to the viewer in such a comedic and light tone. There were several other ways in which is share his story with visuals, even if it was just the interview of his niece and panning over fields and chemicals.
4.) I wish the documentary went into more detail about how long these seeds are able to be in these stock houses and the necessary conditions needed to preserve them. It seems to me that everyone shouldn’t be constantly touching them, exposing them to pathogens and bacteria.
Other than that, I found the documentary to be informative and honor both the science and personal accounts of the loss of seeds throughout the world.
1) I honestly did not know very much about seeds before watching this video. I knew that they hold the potential for life and that we need them to grow food from season to season, but I had never considered the reproduction and storage of seeds or the implications of a shrinking crop diversity on the continuing existence of seed stores. I have not taken a bio class since high school, but from what I remember from genetics, I understand the basic idea that diversity is key to a healthy species. It makes sense that seeds, as "living embryos," have a short shelf life and must be continuously reproduced in order to avoid extinction. Therefore, while I had thought about the diversity of crops and the risks of relying solely on a few species (like the Irish potato famine that left many without any other alternative food), I now realize that the current dominant agricultural practice poses more than a future potential threat--it aids an ongoing extinction of species that needs to be addressed now.
ReplyDelete2) Prior to watching this film, I was aware that gmo's were a product produced by large corporations that destroyed agency of small-scale farmers, and for that reason, I had an anti-gmo stance. However, I believed that if the corporations were left out of the picture (like, for example, if they no longer had the rights to the plants) then science would be all good for humanity. Something that challenged this belief was the fact that genetically modifying an organism may have unintentional effects, like the possibility for one species' vulnerability to a disease to be transferred to another species. It remains unclear what the health effects of gmo's are, and that is something that unsettles me just as much as the monopolization of crops by large corporations.
3) I was unsettled slightly by the man who went out in search of different native plants, mostly because he kept referring to them as "wild." However, it was clear in the documentary that at least one of these plants (and probably more than just that one) was known and used by the indigenous communities there, who taught him how to cook them by the fire. Given the ongoing history of colonialism and the colonial project of collecting knowledges from indigenous communities about their "wild" resources without offering anything in return, I'm curious to know what this man's intentions are and what the effects of this research (intentional or unintentional) might be on the communities that possess knowledge of these foods.
4) I am concerned about the loss of 90-94% of seed varieties across so many vegetables. I am curious to know if we can reach that kind of biodiversity again as well as what actions do we need to take to reach that goal and how long we can expect that to take?
1) What did you know about seeds and the seed industry prior to watching this film? Where did you obtain this prior knowledge?
ReplyDeletePrior to watching this film I had some vague knowledge around seeds and the seed industry, but no idea about the complexities of 'ownership' and other consequences of industry. Every Spring, my dad and I would go to the store to buy new seeds for the garden, but it never occurred to me why we had to do it every year. I thought that was just how it worked. My understandings of these issues were a result of my family's bounded history to the seed and seed industry. I was talking to my mother about this film and she told me about how everyone in her hometown worked at the Pioneer Seed Plant, something I didn't even realize. Pioneer eventually was bought out by some other company. To me this illustrates the proximity that we all have to unethical systems of seed.
2) Does any of the information in the film challenge your ideas about your relationship to food and plants? If so, how so? Also, do parts of the film resonate with your experiences and beliefs? If so, tell us how!
I think this film lent me a sense of urgency, more than anything else. Before I hadn't realized the scope of the issue, but through this film I was given a fuller perspective on what dire circumstances we are in. I had no conception of the diversity of our seeds being close to 0. That so many of our varieties have completely disappeared. It was astounding.
Much of the movie really resonated with my experiences and thoughts. I was really excited when the part about Oaxaca came on. I poring over everyones faces, trying to see if I recognized anyone. Unfortunately, I hadn't met any of those folks on my travels through the Sierra Norte. Oaxaca is the place where my concern for a lot of these issues was awoken. So many people there are racing against time and economic pressure to do what they can for our Mother. It would be trivial to say I have so much respect for the people of Oaxaca and indigenous subsistence farmers. I learned so much from my colleagues and friends there, I won't soon forget.
I also resonated with... maybe not resonate, but I felt emotional after watching the parts about Hawaii. To see how people are suffering and dying at the hands of companies who even refuse to answer questions about their products was so nutty to me. Seeing the bit about students getting sick from a giant cloud of chemical also put me on the edge of tears.
3) Were there any parts of the film that made you feel uncomfortable or where you found the messaging of the film to be problematic in some way? If so, why?
I thought the inclusion of the seed pirates was a really interesting choice for the film. It does show an alternate view of what people are doing to save seeds, but the capitalist forces driving their search really bothered me. I can understand why they do it, but I felt really disheartened after watching them interact on screen.
Other than that I can't put my finger on a moment where I truly felt like something was problematic. There also may be things going on in the film that we are not privy to, I'm not sure.
4) Are there other questions that arise for you as you contemplate your relationship with the plants that sustain your life?
I think it would be important, for me, to have a conversation about GMOs. I have a cursory knowledge of GMOs, but I'm not sure I understand all of the arguments for and against.
I want to talk about the stories of the seeds we will be planting.
How can I contribute if I can only save a small amount of seed?
AH
Rice. I've been thinking a lot about rice.
1.) Thanks to my first year seminar, I did know a bit about the extremely sad reality small farmers face as they often live in fear of these lawsuits from big corporations like Monsanto. I also recall learning a bit about seed banks, but this film really emphasized their importance in a way I think I hadn't fully conceptualized. I also knew about the massive industrialization of farming occurring at the insistence of the Green Revolution from history classes, but it was so sickening to learn about its effects on seed saving, especially with regards to Monsanto's strategic purchasing from Indian farmers.
ReplyDelete2.) My grandfather was a passionate gardener, and when he died, my mother and I dug up as many of his plants as we could to take to our house. However, for some reason I have only really thought of passing on this familial legacy through flowers versus plants. I once had the privilege of eating a variety of corn that had been crucial to a local indigenous community for several hundred years at least, but I had never thought about having that intimacy with seeds as a way to connect to my own family. It was inspiring to see the connections people in the film had to the land, but discouraging to understand how far my very urban family has strayed from our roots. I will drive out to the old farmstead and steal some seeds, I think.
3.) Honestly the guy who was passionate about foraging and collecting seeds from all over the world was stressing me out the whole time. He'd hold up a crop that was the lifeblood of a community, speak to its merits, and I would just think "oh my gosh what if big corporations get wind of this and start trying to patent and grow it on a large scale." Also his seed saving contrasted to the Iowa packing facility with its vacuum-sealed bags and I was just very interested in the way he was doing this work seemingly as an individual. I also feel like the film should have named more of the major corporations, because as was said in class, Monsanto is the famous one but there are so many others as well. Of course once again, the dependency Monsanto created of Indian farmers on its seeds was disgusting and in some ways very culturally specific (the deity on the truck) and I was left wondering if these kinds of tactics were being employed in other countries and how they might look different. Like Audrey, I wish the film had included interviews with representatives from the big corporations or at least an acknowledgement of what was probably their refusal to speak to filmmakers.
4.) Upon finishing the film, I have many logistical questions about seed banks and how they operate in different countries, as well as the history and multinational dynamics of the one in Svalbard. I was shocked to learn about the historical targeting of seed banks in times of war, and am definitely going to investigate that further.
1) One year, for a middle school science fair, I grew multiple types of sunflowers. With my mom’s help, I ordered all of my seeds from a catalog and then started growing them in my back yard. From this project, I learned about all of the different processes that take place to make a seed grow. That was really the extent of my seed and seed industry knowledge prior to this film. I had no concept of the amount of diversity that has been lost or the intensity of the threat that large corporations are posing to seed “ownership.” I had a decent understanding of GMOs and the harm that they can cause people, but the documentary taught me a lot more about the relationship between seeds and biochemical corporations.
ReplyDelete2) This film really affirmed my desire to eat local produce, without GMOs. It made me wonder, though, where do the farmers in the Kalamazoo area get their seeds? Walking through and shopping at the farmers market, I had never known to think about or question where the seeds had come from. Are issues around seed variety, origin, and “ownership” popular in the farming community? Do most local farmers know to pay attention to where their seeds are coming from?
Additionally, this film made me think about my desire to have a diverse diet differently. While it is difficult to do whilst in college, I understand the importance of eating many different foods. I know that when I am eating a larger variety of produce, I feel better and receive more nutrients! I now understand this as a form of symbiosis. Diversity in our diets is directly correlated to diversity in the food we produce.
3) I just wish that they would have contrasted the different seed ideologies more directly. Generally, it seemed like all seed collectors and those tasked with seed storage agreed that seeds are life. Yet, there were more nuanced understandings of seed “ownership” put forward by indigenous folk versus those storing seeds on behalf of the government.
4) The most blatant question for me after finishing the film was…ok now what? What do I do?
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ReplyDeleteHow lovely of a film… I feel like when we think of all the wrongdoings of humanity and the various social rights movements that have emerged over the course of the years to try and make a more just society where each of us is given sufficient conditions of decency, we never consider the earth to be one of our victims in these fights.
ReplyDelete1) I honestly didn’t know much about the seed industry- but I do have very specific memories of my dad and I going on walks throughout our old more rural neighborhood in Livonia, Michigan, and him always bringing a pair of scissors with him in case he found something blooming that he wanted for his garden; there was a line in the movie: “This treasure can only be preserved by reproducing it,” that struck me last night. I remember taking it so much for granted that my dad could just cut off a piece of a plant he liked and from that little piece find a way to germinate it in his own lawn or ginormous garden. Our neighborhood back then was more of a community environment than I’ve ever lived in to this day- all the kids would run around from house to house barefoot. And what was cool is I remember everyone sharing their seeds too, which I didn’t understand how that was contributing to this togetherness then but now I do. For those who didn’t have their own garden, those who did would always have extra yield to share- I remember large backs of zucchini and tomato being transported from house to house. Even on the rare occasion we bought seeds from the store, our vegetables were flawed and misshapen and very much not like any of the ones I saw in the store- and yet they nurtured us and took care of my family and the community just the same.
2) I guess in my relationship to food I’m only ever on the consumption side- and my worries, therefore circulate mainly around consuming the food I have bought from the store before it goes bad and wastes not only the food itself, but all the resources that went into it- i.e., the people’s time, the water, the seed. I loved the “dance with food,” section of the documentary and the idea of this giant microsystem or organisms that is our planet all working together to aid the survival of each other. If we consider the fact that our ancestors wouldn’t have made it if it weren’t for this richness in variety of seeds that was present, and our interaction with them, then we can begin to see seeds as our family- they are our caretakers and our children all at the same time. This idea called to mind an article I recently read in New York Times called the “Good Enough Life.” The article introduced the psychoanalytic idea of Winnicott’s “good enough mother,” as the primary influencer in the development of the “true self,” of the infant. Being a “good-enough,” mother isn’t about being mediocre or average, it’s about initiating your infant into a world where they feel both cared for and ready to deal with life’s endless frustrations. Although ideals of “greatness,” have always cut across the political spectrum of America, sometimes in the form of G.M.O. science, this article posits instead the idea of a “middle path,” in which each of us have sufficient resources to handle the increasingly complex world but not too many so that we never grow. If we find meaning only in greatness, we might miss all the beauty that comes from very ordinary moments. Establishing the very natural “good enough,” dance with our earth, which sacrifices so much to feed us, isn’t possible until we recognize the abundance and limitations of the rest of the life forms we share this planet with, all striving for their own “good-enoughness,” rather than “greatness.”
3) I thought it was slightly unnatural how they went about filming certain scenes- specifically when they would cut from very intense stories in one-on-one interviews to clips of traditional practices such as ceremonies or singing. For example, with the woman on the Hawaiian homestead who was speaking her truths about the chemical trial plants and its effects on her family, they cut to a scene of her singing in her native tongue on the beach. I’m wondering how they came to this idea… did she propose it herself? Or did they ask her if she had any culture specific traditions she still followed that she wanted to display? Or did they pose her and ask her to sing? Did they do this to prove how native she was? I guess my main issue with this kind of thing is not only that another culture is somewhat being fetsihized, but that it feels sort of like the film is capitalizing on these traditions to send the intense messages they want to send which don’t get me wrong, are very important ones, but seem like they could have been done in a more sensitive way. The second time this bothered me was during the farmer suicide story about the young woman’s uncle. It seemed as though her very personal story was made really theatrical so that it could be more gut wrenching or whatever, like strike more of an emotional chord for the audience, even though for her and her family this is a reality they have to live every single day.
ReplyDelete4) How are a few ways I can begin to give back to the earth if I don’t currently have the necessary resources to start sustaining myself? I wonder how the re-emergence of the popularity of G.M.O.-free and organic foods have contributed to the variety being grown, if at all?
Even if humans are inherently selfish beings that think we are superior to all else, I don’t think we realize that it is in all of our best interest to keep these seeds around and flourishing for as long as possible. The only reason I can imagine this is happening is because of the disconnect between us and the earth/the places our food is coming from. No one is happy anymore- not the land and not the people working the land. We are consciously deciding not to participate in this dance between earth and ourselves, and it will slowly but surely ruin our relationship for good.
1.) Prior to this documentary my knowledge of seeds was fairly limited (and, perhaps it still is). I was aware of certain problems with GMOs and patenting seeds, and the tragedies many farmers face when confronted with biotech lawsuits. My brief understanding of this subject I had gained from my Freshman seminar, Cultivating Community, and its related books/ documentaries.
ReplyDelete2.) Yes, this film certainly challenged my prior beliefs and experiences with food/ plants. For one, I was not aware of the degree of biodiversity loss we have experienced in regards to vegetables. This was both shocking and disheartening. Furthermore, ideas about modern agricultural techniques are often heralded as steps towards progress in developmental economics literature. While seed patenting/ biotech monopolies may never be seen in a positive light, the ability for modern techniques to provide our growing population with more food is often noted as progress. This has left me wondering whether organic/ sustainable agricultural techniques are capable of supplying the word with sufficient food and nutrients. While the negative effects of GMOs should certainly not be downplayed, positive aspects such as the heightened ability to supply the world with adequate (cheap) food supply were not taken into account and this was, to me, part of the film’s weakness.
3.) The way the film showed the suicide of the Indian farmer seemed to take light of the issue. The cartoons were almost playfully set to the tragedy. To me this was both problematic and uncomfortable.
4.) How can we reconcile sustainably grown agricultural products with the ‘premium’ prices they demand? While the cause of sustainably grown food is important to many people, the limited purchasing power of the (world’s) poor faces them to be confined to the consumption of large-scale, cheaply produced agricultural products. While it may seem obvious, the idea that ‘good’ food is only for the rich negates many of the (revolutionary) themes embedded within movements towards responsible food cultures.
1) From Professor Newday’s Roots in the Earth class, I knew about the major seed-patenting problem. However, this was almost the extent of my knowledge as it is relevant to our class.
ReplyDelete2) The film reminds me of an intimacy with the natural world that a lot of us, including myself, don’t get to partake in. Romanticized conceptions of our life in harmony with the natural world do grab ahold of me, and make me wish I had more firsthand knowledge of growing plants (and I don’t mean romanticized in a negative way). But, I think a lot of it is all about personal commitment, about how much energy, out of love, you put into learning this natural connection. A lot of people who are born farmers don’t revere nature in this way – it’s their job, so it’s just routine. But others do; and, among those without much farming experience, there are people who give nature a lot of time and attention and there are people who simply don’t. I can choose to be either, and prove it by my actions.
3) I don’t believe so, no.
4) I think farming – where our “life-sustenance”, as it is phrased, comes from – is not very publicized. From growing crops to slaughtering animals, the “dirtiness” of farming has somehow become something that a lot of people don’t want to know of or think about. Are there ways that the “down-and-dirty” of farm work can be pushed on the public consciousness, and in such a way as to garner broader, enduring support for agricultural problems?
When watching the film and also in the experience at the farm this week, I’ve been really struck by the tension and conflict between more sustainable (and often healthier) farming and the profit seeking aspect of capitalism. In so many ways many of the aspects of seed preservation are not conducive to making a profit. At the farm, Amy discussed the fact that snap peas were an example of one variety that has fallen to the wayside because there isn’t profit in it anymore. Watching the film, it seemed like similar problems surfaced across the world—“new” seeds and chemicals promising larger yields and more money, which they sometimes delivered, but more often failed and left farmers without the previous store of seeds they had.
ReplyDeleteIn many ways the destruction of seeds is a destruction of heritage—often heritages that are wiped out in the name of incoming “civilization”. This was one of the more disturbing aspects of the film that I hadn’t realized before. The fact that seed and chemical companies encouraged local farmers to not just take loans to buy their seeds and chemicals, but that they also bought their previous seeds—this seemed more than just making a profit, it seemed to be creating an unhealthy dependence and working against the already existing culture.
Another thing I hadn’t realized before the film was that genetically modified foods weren’t just plants bred in a lab with specific plants genes, but that the developers were combining cross species, and even using some animal DNA. I wondered about the ethics of this, especially in light of the scientists developing these varieties. I wondered why they didn’t simply use plant DNA and specific plant breeding to alter the plants. This particular section also made me wonder if the various examples they gave are the norm or were a few random experiments that they found.
One thing that both the film and the farm made me wonder was how do we work with a capitalistic society? (Obviously not everything will align, but learning how to work within some of the system has to be possible in at least some form). I also wondered about people who do not have green space and cannot access more heirloom-like seeds—the seeds sold in the stores are not always the most diverse or even ones that are more local. I wonder how these seeds and this knowledge could be made more easily accessible without commodifying the seeds and losing the heritage and stories that come along with the seeds. In many ways, I wonder about more creative solutions for more people from many different areas and backgrounds.
1. Prior to this movie/ class I knew next to nothing about seeds. I knew you could buy them at Home Depot... and truthfully I am not 100% certain about this.
ReplyDelete2. I had a lot of negative feelings about Industrial farming prior to this documentary, this film really resonated with these feelings/ enforced them even further. For example, one point of pride I have always had as a Michigander is that we have the second highest level of variety in what we can farm. Learning however that we have lost 94% of vegetable seeds makes me rethink how I view variety. I think its crazy how mainstream it is to talk about endangered animals but endangered foods are not widely talked about.... it really makes me think about the power of the corporate food companies and how much ability they have in shaping the narrative surrounding food.
3. The film touched on NAFTA and how American corn was affecting Mexico's corn industry. I did not necessarily find this problematic but I think it is interesting to look at how America's corn affects other (non nafta/ trade agreement) nations' corn. For example, when I studied abroad in Ecuador we learned about their 7 native corn varieties. These different varieties had important cultural significance and were imperative to Ecuadorian dishes. The corn is especially linked to Ecuadorian indigenous communities. However, in recent years because of the influx of cheap subsidized corn Ecuadorian varieties are becoming more and more expensive. I just think it's important to note American corn is hurting a lot of nations...
4. I just don't understand how these processes are legal. Does that count as a question? How is this possibly legal? This documentary really made me question how it is possible our relationship with food and one another could have fallen into such a toxic and unsustainable state.
1) Honestly I knew next to nothing about seeds and the seed industry before watching this film. It's a bit appalling to me how little I knew actually. I have learned about exploitation in the agriculture industry through conversations about displacement and dispossession of land, exploitation of migrant bodies and labor, and exploitation of the actual land. However, I cannot recall a single time that I learned about the exploitation of seeds, which is quite alarming, considering they provide the basis for all that sustains my (and our) life (lives).
ReplyDelete2) While watching, I routinely found myself checking in, asking why I had never really considered the foundational role of seeds when thinking about my relationship to food and plants. Thinking about the way that food is actually grown - not only through the hard work of farmers, but also through the actual seeds needed to do that work - makes me consider just how valuable seeds are. I was especially struck in thinking about how our earth is changing with global warming and how, for the first time ever, we may not be able to rely on seeds to save us (jeez, what a depressing thought).
Additionally, though it is not my personal experience, the film made me think of an experience of some acquaintances of mine, back in NY. The couple are both farmers and one was telling me that her partner had inherited a farm from his family but that there was another farm next door that was spraying pesticides. The wind would carry the chemicals over and so not only were their crops contaminated, but her partner also became very sick from the chemicals. They ended up having to move and now work at a different farm in my town. I was reminded of this story when the film showed all the folks who had health issues as a result of chemicals and, though the story shocked me when I first heard it, this put some more perspective on just how drastic that can really be.
3) One moment in which I felt uncomfortable was at the death of the one farmer's uncle. It was sort of made to seem comic, almost lighthearted through the cartoon, and no further questions were really asked about him. His death felt more like a message that the film was trying to drive home than an actual honoring to him. Additionally, like some other folks have already mentioned, I do wish we had heard more about/from different corporations (as we learned in class, Monsanto is just one...).
4) After finishing the film, I wonder: what can I really do with this information? Seeds are cool as heck but is there something I can do to support seed preservation/collection? To support local farmers? To actually grow seeds in a garden, etc? The takeaway felt a bit hopeless, as if we have been doomed by the birth of hybrid seeds.
1) What did you know about seeds and the seed industry prior to watching this film? Where did you obtain this prior knowledge?
ReplyDeleteI didn’t know anything about the seed industry, but I knew that some seeds you can plant and they will grow and some won’t. I knew that seeds were an indication that a plant could be a fruit. I also understood the idea of seeds drifting and taking root in places that they weren’t intended to live.
2) Does any of the information in the film challenge your ideas about your relationship to food and plants? If so, how so? Also, do parts of the film resonate with your experiences and beliefs? If so, tell us how!
Yes! I have a much bigger appreciation for seed, and more importantly saving and protecting seed. I had no idea that seeds could go extinct, and it was frightening to see how many varieties of seeds we’ve lost over the years because of the lack of knowledge europeans had about growing indigenous seeds.
3) Were there any parts of the film that made you feel uncomfortable or where you found the messaging of the film to be problematic in some way? If so, why?
No
4) Are there other questions that arise for you as you contemplate your relationship with the plants that sustain your life?
No
1)I did not know anything if I am honest. I never had really seen seeds or understand anything about how to deal with them and how each one requires different conditions.
ReplyDelete2)This film constantly challenged what I thought I knew. I did not know many of the statistics on variety or the way that seeds were so capable of holding agency. This film taught me that seeds grow for us, if they didnt want to they dont have to and that makes me value seeds and those who steward them even more. In terms of variety, I have always been overwhelmed by all the types of different plants we see and knowing that sometimes we arent seeing even 10% of the original count this world had to offer, saddens me deepy and imbues a hell of a lot of a sense of urgency and movement in me.
3)To echo my peers, many intense scenes, and in particular the death we become privvy to, are portrayed in light ways, that seem to lack tact and not understand the severity of life which was contradictory for me as we were talking about the essence of seeds(life) and not taking seriously something like suicide.
4)I wonder if they can listen and feel us in the way that humans feel each other. If so, and even if not so, we just owe them so many apologies.
apologies and gratitudes**** we should honor them so much more.
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